Afterwards
by dreamscapenymph
Summary: A collection of one shots about what happens after the second movie. Contains SxS fluff and ExT foreshadowing.
1. Kismet, Marriage and a Promise

AN: I have edited this to add breaks. Smile!

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. Mind that!!!

**Kismet, Marriage and a Promise**

"…Even if the feeling that's important to me disappears," Syaoran said in a tired but determined voice, "I feel, that I will still fall in love with you again."

"Syaoran, no!" Sakura shouted, her eyes brimming with tears, just as the lighthouse filled with light. The sealed card flew in front of her and she saw that the little girl completed the last card—the one with the heart and angel wings. It said, "Don't cry. Its alright." Sakura, astonished, said, "Its her."

She caught some movement in front of her and saw Syaoran looking at his hands. "Syaoran," Sakura said, sniffling back tears, "I don't care if you don't have feelings towards me anymore." She looked up at him across the hole in the lighthouse and fought with an inner struggle to just slump down and cry. _ I have to do this. I have to tell him._ "I just want you to know that," she continued, "that I'm in love with you, that's all." She snuffled. "You're the most important person to me in the whole wide world!" She finished.

He looked sideways at her, with an expression she can't decipher at all. It was almost blank. _No, no, no! _Sakura shouted in her mind. She hung her head, and when she thought she could not hold her tears back any longer, one trickled down her right cheek.

"And you are mine," Syaoran said. Sakura gasped, slowly raised her head and saw him turning towards her, smiling. "Sakura," he finished.

She was surprised, for she really thought he had forgotten her. Now her tears were not of sadness, but of joy, that he still recognized her.

Light replace the former darkness that covered Tomoeda moments ago. As it did, the holes began to fill up. And people started to reappear once more.

"Here I go!" Sakura exclaimed, blushing with happiness. She took a step back and prepared to…jump.

"Hey hold on!" Syaoran said, blushing himself, "The stairs will come back!" Holding out his arms, hoping Sakura would stop.

She did not. "No way!" She cried out. And proceeded to soar through, saying, "I love you!"

"Sakura!" Syaoran said, and then he stepped back…and jumped himself. He caught her in the air, and as he embraced her he said quietly, "Hey, that was foolish of you to jump like that."

Sakura giggled in his arms, "As I have said earlier I don't care." She smiled up at him, "besides, you jumped, too. Doesn't that make the two of us foolish?"

Syaoran rumpled her hair and embraced her tightly, burying his face in her hair. "Yeah, I am foolish. But I'm in love, wouldn't that be enough reason?" He looked down at her, his amber eyes soft and twinkling.

Happiness etched in the emerald eyes that were mirrored in his own. "I love you, Sakura."

"I love you, too, Syaoran." Sakura replied, satisfied in her present position—enveloped in his arms. "I am so happy I feel I can just fall forever."

That seemed to snap Syaoran back to his senses. "Sakura, we are falling." He pointed out.

"Yeah," she replied lazily, her eyes closed and her head rested in his chest.

"Aren't the holes supposed to close up now? Shouldn't we be worried?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Sakura silenced him by placing a finger over his lips. "Shhh," she said in a whisper, "the Hope will lead us to where we are supposed to be going." She said, referring to the sealed card.

The minute feeling of anxiety Syaoran had earlier vanished, for he felt contented and at peace holding Sakura. She was looking up at him as if he was her world, and he was quite sure he also looked at her that way.

"I am half expecting music," Sakura said dreamily. Syaoran laughed. _She is still Sakura after all._ Honey-colored hair was being played with by the wind as they continued to plunge down. His own hair was rumpled by the wind, too, but he didn't care.

All of a sudden the Hope changed their direction. They were now flying in a projectile path towards somewhere.

"Whee!" Sakura squealed, and then collapsed into a fit of giggles in his chest. Syaoran chuckled along with her, and just let the card determine where they were going, choosing not to worry over what he considered the 'little things'. Instead, he concentrated on Sakura. She was getting heavier, he realized. He chuckled again as he saw her slumbering in his arms.

------

"Where are they?" a frantic Touya was pacing back and forth at her house. Seated at the sofa were the equally concerned Meilin, Touya, Foujitaka and Yukito.

"It has been two days and they're still not here. Where have they gone to?" Meilin said, voicing her own agitations.

"Don't tell me she eloped with that kid! I will kill him if I see him again!" Touya said in a dangerous voice, balling his fists up, which added all the more to his fierceness.

"You may not see them again," said a voice.

"Eriol! You came!" Tomoyo stood up, "I was hoping that you could help us, explain to us what is going on."

Eriol walked into the living room, still the image of the perfect, calm and composed eleven-year-old you would see. He shook his head, "I am sorry, Tomoyo, but I cannot help you—"

"What? You don't—" Touya cut him off, but he was stopped by Eriol's hand.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Eriol said, and Touya raged with fury, but he could not speak. "I cannot help you, but I can explain." He finished. Everyone leaned forward in his or her seats.

"I did not know nor predict that this would happen, since my memories of Clow Reed are incomplete," he said. Touya opened his mouth to interrupt again but Eriol said, "For those of you who do not understand what I am saying but are directly related to Syaoran and Sakura, please listen. Yue, Keroberos, please reveal your true forms. Fujitaka was surprised, but it was Touya who gaped when they saw Sakura's favorite stuff toy turn into a winged lion and more, when they saw Yukito transform into a guy with wings and white long hair.

Touya seemed to have regained his voice, "What the—", though he was cut off by Eriol again.

"Please listen. I do not wish to repeat any of what I will say." He said.

"I know!" Touya shouted out. "Will you stop cutting out my voice and listen, too! I know! Father and I know!" Eriol seemed mildly taken aback after all, he is Eriol but he regained his composure in a moment.

"I will not ask how you came of this knowledge but it saves me all the time for a longer story." He said, and then turned to face all of them, mainly addressing Tomoyo. "It seems to me as if the Hope, which is the true form of the sealed, fifty-third card, has made both their immediate wishes come true."

Tomoyo seemed confused, "What immediate wishes?"

"I am predicting that Sakura has confessed to Syaoran when she thought that his memory and feelings towards her would be lost. But the sealed card was never made for complete destruction," he nodded at Yue, "and in the end became good to them—she did not erase any important feeling. This shows how truly honest and good Sakura was. She was the best choice for the cardcaptor." He smiled.

"Anyway, as far as I can deduce, the immediate wish that Sakura and Syaoran had was to be together at once. And the Hope did grant it—now they are together. Where, I do not know. How to see them, I do not know. Only Sakura and Syaoran will be able to decide, since they control the Sakura cards. I am sorry," he said, looking at Tomoyo, who had burst into tears.

Meilin, who was beside her, immediately patted her and comforted her. Eriol looked at Tomoyo first before continuing, "Perhaps the Hope has brought them to a place where they could be wed. The Hope is very fond of linking magical beings and potential lovers together, "he looked sideways at Tomoyo again, "and is always seeking for ways to partner them. I really do not know the place."

"As I have said earlier, we may not see them again. But it is really their choice if they will continue to live in the place the Hope has set for them, or if they will return to this world."

At that, Tomoyo started to sob again. Eriol turned to her for a second, and in that brief second there was a glint of something, perhaps longing, evident in his eyes.

------

Sakura woke up in a sandy beach, to see Syaoran slumbering beside her, his arms around her waist. She smiled up at him, taking a stray lock of hair from his face. He was her Syaoran now. She smiled again _Syaoran. _She relished saying the name over and over again in her mind, as she stared at his handsome features.

Syaoran's eyes opened and emerald locked with amber. He smiled at her and she smiled back. _I'm happy I'm with you, Sakura_, he thought. They embraced each other again.

It was Sakura who said, "Where are we?" They stood up to see that they were indeed in a little island, with the blue-green waves of the water in front of them and the green and brown of the trees at their backs. They walked to the direction of the island, and saw that there was a house in it. At the front door was the Hope, in her visible form.

"I see the both of you are awake. Welcome, master, mistress." She said, smiling and bowing.

"Hope? Where are we?" Sakura said.

The Hope smiled once again, "We are in the island Luffian, and you are going to be wed here."

"Wed?" Sakura and Syaoran both exclaimed.

"B-b-b-but we're only eleven!" Sakura sputtered.

"Are my master and mistress unhappy with what I have done? I am so sorry, but I just wanted to grant your immediate wishes," said the Hope sadly, her head hanging to one side.

"Oh, Hope, do not worry, we are not unhappy, we were just thinking that perhaps we are too young for marriage, right Syaoran?" Sakura said, rushing over to comfort the Hope.

"Um, yeah. We are only eleven. That is still not a legitimate age for marriage." Syaoran said, nodding his head.

"Oh, you must have misunderstood, master, mistress. You were both married a long time ago, before you were even born. It was your fate—you were destined for each other." The Hope smiled.

"Oh? Really?" Sakura said in mild disbelief; shooting a glance that seemed to say, _Let's just tolerate her for a while _at Syaoran.

"Please believe me, mistress," the Hope said to Sakura, "what I say is true. In the magical world, age is of no matter when kismet works. Master Clow Reed has preordained it to be so."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Syaoran. "Eriol knew about this, but he still let me suffer because of longing?" He muttered under his breath, but the two still heard.

"Oh, Syaoran," smiled Sakura, touched at that. The Hope, too, smiled, "Yes, master, master Eriol knew. But he was not supposed to tell you about it. He knew that in the end you will be together, but he did not know how the two of you would actually react, so he refrained from saying anything. And as his memories of master Clow are incomplete, this is the end of what he knows. He knows that you will be wed but he does not know where. Anyway, my job here is to wed you. As I have explained earlier, age is of no question in the magical world. So why don't we start preparing for the ceremonies?"

The Hope led them inside the house and pointed out the west wing, "Master Syaoran, those are your chambers. Attendants will be waiting for you there." Syaoran proceeded to the direction she was pointing.

"Mistress Sakura, please follow me. I have your dress and everything else ready." She said. Sakura obeyed and followed her towards a very beautiful room

Everything was a soft shade of lavender, the curtains, the bedspread, the furniture. It was so beautiful that Sakura could not help but feel amazed. As the Hope bustled around getting things ready for her, she was just gazing around at the room, a perfect pale color—not too bright, nor very pastel-ly. After her bath, which she thought was just a blur; the Hope helped her into a dress—still lavender in color. It had long three-fourth sleeves that flared along her arms into an uneven cut. When she moved her white arms around, the air caught on the material which seemed to sway along with it. It had a round neck with a small one-inch v-slit under the collarbone, where lavender strings (slightly darker in color than the dress) criss-crossed and joined into a ribbon resting below the bone. The skirt was long and flowy, but it also had another, longer slit on the side, until in the middle of her thighs. Lavender strings also criss-crossed through this slit. When she sashayed around, the slit revealed lavender flat ballet shoes that also had lavender strings attached to them, which also criss-crossed in her legs. Her hair was dutifully combed by the Hope, and while she did in front of the mirror, Sakura could not believe the dress she saw in the mirror. She fingered the ribbon and thought, _I am really going to get married. _She laughed to herself. _Am I insane? I am only eleven years old, and I haven't even reached the puberty stage yet, and yet here I am, wearing a very gorgeous 'wedding' dress, being combed by my 'lady-in-waiting' and going to get married to a boy I have loved, to whom I just confessed hours earlier. _Then she had the insane impulse to laugh, which she fought very hard to stop, but it escaped into muffled giggles, and eventually, hysteria.

"Mmmf..mmmf…hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"

"Mistress Sakura? Is anything funny?" the Hope said.

"It is this situation that I am in; it seems that I cannot believe it." She turned around to the Hope, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "I am still eleven, but I really am getting married!" With that she laughed again, and proceeded to cry.

"Oh, master, it is usual to have pre-wedding jitters, it will go away once you are marching, and see master Syaoran." The Hope smiled at her.

Sakura, now wiping real tears from her face, smiled and nodded, sniffing.

------

Meanwhile, Syaoran was being attended to by a male with small wings that seemed to be tied to his back. There was really no other way to describe him. He was now sitting beside a window, his thoughts preoccupied. He was as handsome as ever, wearing a black suit with dark red and dark violet dragons splayed across the back.

_Am I sure with this decision? I wonder what Sakura is thinking right now. Is she ready to marry me? Is this even 'marriage'?_ He sighed and looked out, oblivious to the apparent preparations to a lavish garden 'wedding'. He sighed again. _Are we even making the right decisions?_

------

The garden at the back of the house was filled with lavender blossoms. As a result, the scent of the flowers wafted throughout the air. It was a pretty sight, as everything and everyone were in lavender, but the most beautiful of all were the bride and the groom, whom, besides from the pretty clothes, were the epitome of beauty themselves. Sakura was very feminine, as she stepped down her (lavender, of course) carriage, complete with the dress, the shoes, and a thin silver tiara in her hair. Syaoran was chatting with the Hope, who was going to wed them, until she pointed out Sakura to him. He turned around slowly to see Sakura, pretty as ever, fluffing down her skirt and looking a bit embarrassed at the attention. Her eyes rose to see him, who was staring at her unabashedly, and she blushed, looking down. He blushed, too, and tried to smile at her, who was looking at him again. She smiled back—a tiny smile. He whispered into the wind, mouthing at her, "You look beautiful." Once again Sakura blushed. Syaoran loved to see her blush. She smiled at him and mouthed, "And you look handsome, too." Everyone else was just unmindful to this cute display of affection between the couple. The Hope just smiled, and nodded at the conductor, who waved his baton. Music swelled, and the lady maid in Sakura's back whispered, "You go on, now, mistress." Sakura smiled, mustered up enough courage, and started to walk.

It was taking her forever. Syaoran could feel himself longing to hold her, but alas, he had to wait.

------

_I wish my father was here, walking me to the altar._ Sakura thought.

_I wish my mother was here, seeing his only boy getting married._ Syaoran thought.

Doubts began to weigh themselves heavily on Sakura and Syaoran's mind.

_Is this even true?_ Screamed their mind. Then they both began to run away. Away from the garden festivities. Syaoran let Sakura catch up, then he took her hand and they ran away towards the shore.

Everyone began to become frantic, for the bride and the groom were eloping—no, that is a foolish thought. They were running away, _together._ Everyone was confused. _Didn't they want to get married? _At the altar the Hope just stood there, calm. She did not fret, for she knew destiny would still be working.

------

At the balcony in the Daidouji residence, Tomoyo stood, sniffling but no longer crying. Her face has a blank look, as if looking at the farthest distance, but in fact, she was not. Her thoughts concentrated on nothing else, but her best friend, Sakura. _Sakura, oh Sakura. Are you really going to leave me?_ She sniffled again. How she wanted to cry, but alas, there were no more tears left.

A hand tapped her shoulder. She turned around to see Eriol, who stood beside her, leaning on the railings. "I'm sorry," was all he said.

Tomoyo smiled. "Thank you."

Eriol looked sideways at her, his face confused.

"For everything." Tomoyo answered his querying eyes. Eriol nodded, and they continued to look at the starry night.

Eriol looked sideways at her sad face again, debating with himself. Finally he decided. He reached out a hand behind her back and pulled her to his side, pushing her head gently towards his shoulder. Tomoyo was taken aback by the gesture, but she considered it a kind one, so she did not protest. Instead, she relaxed and closed her eyes.

Eriol was blushing for a few moments, and then he looked down to see Tomoyo slumbering peacefully on his shoulder. He chuckled softly, "You were so tired of worrying straight for two days. You need to get some sleep." Before he could stop himself he kissed the sleeping Tomoyo on her forehead, and carried her in his arms towards her bedroom.

When he placed her in the bed, and had pulled her blanket over her, he looked at her face. She was sleeping very peacefully, her dark hair reflecting the moonlight from her window. He smiled, and then shook his head rather forcefully, as he reluctantly walked out of her room, stealing one last glance at the sleeping Tomoyo.

------

Sakura and Syaoran ran and ran, she hitching up her skirts and he pulling her gently away from the garden 'wedding'.

"I can't believe we did this!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Yeah, we are still eleven after all. What happened to our minds?" Syaoran exclaimed. Sakura looked at him. He added hastily, "Not that I don't want to marry you. Sakura, I do. But don't you think that we are a bit too young?"

Sakura smiled, "I do, too. Don't get me wrong, too. You are right—we are a bit young." Both of them smiled at each other.

"I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden I missed my family, and I wanted them to see me get married, at least," Syaoran said ruefully, looking at the waters.

"Yeah, me too. I wanted my father to walk me to the altar." Sakura said. She took his hand, and as he looked over at her, she said, "Promise me that when we grow older we will get married," she looked over at the island, then back at him, "for real."

Syaoran nodded, looking at her eyes, "But we will not separate, right?"

"No, we won't be." They smiled at each other.

Sakura jumped up, "We have to seal this promise."

Syaoran looked confused, "How?"

Sakura smiled and said, "Kiss me." Then she promptly closed her eyes.

Syaoran grinned, and did so. Sakura was prepared for it, but not for the initial shock she felt when his lips met hers. Syaoran paused, thinking that perhaps she was still not ready, but then he felt the pressure of her lips on his own. She was kissing him back.

It was soft and very sweet. It lasted for not more than ten seconds, but it was enough to seal the promise—with a first kiss.

They broke apart and smiled at each other once again, holding hands. All of a sudden the Hope appeared at their side.

"You're already married," was what she simply said.

Both looked confused.

"When you made that promise, and when you sealed it with the kiss, you got married," she explained, "the magical world is different from the human world. You are already married—it has been fated to be so. The remaining thing was only formality, which you already did, through the promise and the kiss. But rest assured that this will not leak in the human world, if you want it to be so. Even master Eriol will not know, since his memories are incomplete. Still, you will end up together in the human world—again, that is fated, and as shown by your promise and by your love, I have no doubts that it will come true."

"You have nothing to fear about, even age. The both of you will still be together, happy." She finished.

The two smiled. "Hope, can we go home?" asked Sakura.

"Yes, of course, mistress, and as one of your cards, I will go with you wherever you will go." She answered.

Syaoran had a faraway look. He turned to Sakura and whispered something. She nodded readily and grinned at the Hope.

"You know, Hope, we feel that you hold this island very dear," Syaoran started slowly, and added, "Would you like to stay?"

The Hope was practically glowing, "Oh, yes, yes masters I definitely want to stay!" Then, catching herself, she added, "If master and mistress would allow me to."

Sakura grinned, "Of course, we do!"

"Oh thank you!" was her happy reply.

Sakura and Syaoran were now flying home, generally happy with everything. When they landed quietly in Tomoyo's house, they were surprised to see Eriol there, eating brunch with Tomoyo. They were both laughing together about something.

"Tomoyo!" shrieked Sakura.

Tomoyo look up to see—"Sakura!" she shrieked back. "Oh my God I am so happy to see you! Where in earth have you been?!" They proceeded to jump around the dining room, holding hands and chattering excitedly. Tomoyo could be heard scolding Sakura at first but when she heard the story she began to shriek once again.

------

"Hey, Eriol," Syaoran said.

"Hey, Syaoran."

"I see you have been keeping Tomoyo company," Syaoran grinned. Eriol blushed. Syaoran's grin widened, "You like her, right? The unperturbed Eriol Hirigizawa, reincarmation of Clow Reed, liking somebody?" He laughed, "You must have been hit hard, man!"

Eriol's blush deepened and he punched Syaoran lightly on his arm, "Hey, stop it! You're making it worse!"

Syaoran just laughed evilly.

------

"Tomoyo, what were you laughing about with Eriol?" Sakura asked her friend. Tomoyo just blushed, "Oh, nonsense things," she said, brushing imaginary things away with her hand.

"Tomoyo Daidouji! You like him!" screamed Sakura.

"Hey, quietly! He might hear, you know. So what if I like him? After all, he is cute and nice…" Tomoyo said, her voice fading away.

Sakura just laughed evilly.

------

The Hope smiled, "It looks like I have another match to do." She was looking at the scene in the Daidouji residence.

------

At the same balcony where they landed, Sakura and Syaoran could be seen, looking out into nothingness, hands intertwined.

"Let's not forget our promise, eh, Sakura? Let us make sure that we will get married for real when we are older." Syaoran said.

"Who could forget such a promise?" Sakura smiled at him.

Syaoran pulled her over for a hug.

A/N: a oneshot folks!hehe…just something that I have dreamed up after watching the second movie!!yeey…this is my second story and I am so happy… PLEASE READ AND REVIEW so that I will be a happy happy happy authoress dreaming up many stories!


	2. Not Letting Go

Author's Notes: Hey-hi! I have decided to make this a collection of one shots about what I think happened afterwards, that is, after the second movie… please read and review! SS of course, and ET foreshadowing!

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own CCS. Mind that!!!

**Not Letting Go**

"…Even if the feeling that's important to me disappears," Syaoran said in a tired but determined voice, "I feel…I feel, that I will still fall in love with you again."

"Syaoran, no!" Sakura shouted, her eyes brimming with tears, just as the lighthouse filled with light. The sealed card flew from her pocket and stopped in front of her and she saw that the little girl completed the last Sakura card—the one with the heart and angel wings. It said, "Don't cry. It's alright."

Astonished, Sakura said, "It's her."

She caught some movement in front of her and saw Syaoran looking down at his hands. "Syaoran," Sakura said, sniffling back tears, "I don't care if you don't have feelings towards me anymore." She looked up at him across the hole in the lighthouse and fought with an inner struggle to just slump down and cry. _ I have to do this. I have to tell him._ "I just want you to know that," she continued, "that I'm in love with you, that's all." She snuffled. _There is still no reaction from him. _"You're the most important person to me in the whole wide world!" She finished.

He looked sideways at her, with a blank expression she cannot decipher at all. _No, no, no! _Sakura shouted in her mind. She hung her head, and when she could not hold her tears back any longer, one trickled down her right cheek.

"And you are mine," Syaoran said. Sakura gasped, slowly raised her head and saw him turning towards her, smiling. "Sakura," he finished.

She was surprised, for she really thought he had forgotten his feelings. Now her tears were not of sadness, but of joy, that he still recognized her.

Light replace the former darkness that covered Tomoeda moments ago. As it did, the holes began to fill up, and people started to reappear once more.

"Here I go!" Sakura exclaimed, blushing with happiness. She took a step back and prepared to…jump.

"Hey hold on!" Syaoran said, blushing himself, "The stairs will come back!" He was holding out his arms, hoping Sakura would stop.

She did not. "No way!" She cried out. And she proceeded to soar through, saying, "I love you!"

OOF!

_She might have used the Jump, but I haven't seen it. Has she mastered calling the Clow Cards without speaking?_ Syaoran thought, as a warm giggly body landed on top of him, whom he recognized as Sakura. Sakura twittered as he attempted to catch her, but his footing was swayed in the process. Eventually, Syaoran landed on his back, with Sakura on top of him.

He said, "I told you to wait, OOF! The vanished parts of the lighthouse will come back in a moment." He attempted to get hold of his bearings and looked around. And as he looked in front of him he saw Sakura, her elbows propped on his shoulders, her emerald eyes blinking at him. That was all it took, and he was lost, swimming once again under the emerald oblivion that had captured him months ago.

"Hey, Syaoran," came Sakura's soft voice.

"H-Hey, Sakura." She smiled, and as she remembered that she was on top of him, she blushed and attempted to get away, "Oh, so sorry Syaoran! Don't worry I'll get off…" Her voice faded as she pulled away, but the strong arms that tried to catch her before stopped her. Syaoran tightened his grip around her waist and ignored her previous sentence. When she relaxed and propped her arms on his chest once again he freed one hand to tuck away a lock of her hair.

"You know, I love the way your bangs fall on your face and cover you eyes." She said, her face pink. They smiled at each other.

"There has been one thing that I have wanted to do ever since…ever since…" He looked at her and blushed, "ever since I fell in love with you." He looked away, and back at her again, to find her blushing, too, and twiddling her fingers.

"Ehh...Umm…You know, Syaoran, I'm really sorry to make you wait, for only giving my answer just now—"

"Ssshh." She was silenced by his finger. "It's okay."

She smiled, "So what was that thing you wanted to do ever since," she blushed, "ever since you fell in love with me?"

_My naïve Sakura_. "Close your eyes first," he said, which she promptly did.

Her eyes flew open as his lips touched her right cheek gently. Both blushed, but could not resist looking at each other. Once again, his face started to ascend towards hers, and her face also began its descent, and their lips were a mere centimeter apart when a last fragment of thought raced through Sakura's head, _I am only eleven years old and in the sixth grade!_ This prompted her to use the only object she had in her hand as a cover, which was the fifty-third card, Hope.

Swoosh! The card cut through the air and wedged itself firmly between their lips. Light came from it, and enveloped the both of them.

------

Sakura and Syaoran's feet gently touched a grassy ground. The card had transported them at the back of a crowd in front of a picturesque church. The people were all in formal clothes, and as the church bells rang they cheered. A newlywed couple came out, but before they could see who the couple was, a great white light enveloped them once again.

------

They were back to their original positions again, and the image of the church was gone.

_MEEP! Awkward position!_ Sakura thought, and scrambled to get up. Syaoran snatched the card from his face and said, "Here…umm, sorry!" He scratched his head.

"Eh, its okay." She replied, and blushed. They sat down on the floor and stared at the sky.

"Thanks, anyway." Sakura told Syaoran.

"For what?" He asked, confused.

"Ermm…for umm…kissing me?" _Meep! How eloquent, Sakura!_ As she began mentally admonishing herself, Syaoran moved closer to her. Sakura lifted her face up to him wonderingly. His face was red, but nonetheless he scooted beside her and took her hand. This gesture flamed up their faces even more.

But still she smiled and rested her head on his shoulder as they looked out.

"Now that you have finished your job as the Cardcaptor, what's next?" Syaoran asked her.

"I don't know. Protect the ones that I love, I guess?" Sakura smiled. Syaoran smiled, too. He did not let go of her hand.

------

"Sakura! Syaoran!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "I am glad that the both of you are safe. The town is back to normal now!" Meiling waved at them.

Sakura and Syaoran were walking towards them.

"Eh? The both of you are walking very close to each other. Is someone hurt? Syaoran?" Meiling said, looking at their faces closely.

"Umm, no, actually, we are fine!" Sakura extricated her left hand from Syaoran's right hand and waved at her.

"Oh, okay!"

_Phew._ Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. _That was close. What would they do if they knew that the reason why we were walking close to each other was because our hands were clasped together, and hidden behind Syaoran's back?_ The moment that Meiling had stopped interrogating them Syaoran had grabbed her hand again. Sakura blushed.

"Why is your face red, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked.

"Eh—?"

"Come to think of it, Syaoran's face is also red!" Meiling said.

"E-e-eh?" Syaoran stuttered. "Oh, look!" He pointed. Both his and Sakura's faces were red. Tomoyo was watching them, and as realization took hold, she smiled.

------

"It has been a long time since we had a tea party!" Sakura said. They were at the dining room of the Kinomoto residence.

"That's right!" Tomoyo agreed.

"Eriol, do you need milk for your tea?"

"No, thank you, Sakura." Eriol smiled at her. He had just returned from England armed with explanations about the sealed card.

"How about you, Syaoran?" Sakura smiled at him.

"Oh, I-I'm okay, thanks." He replied, blushing a bit and turning away. "She is good at this." He muttered under his breath.

"Who is good at what?" Meiling asked.

"Oh-oh, nothing." Syaoran said, blushing deeper. Eriol and Tomoyo looked at him, at Sakura and at each other, and smiled.

"Let's cut the cake!" Tomoyo said.

"Okay! I'll go get it." Sakura offered.

"I'll help you!" Meiling said, and they proceeded to the kitchen.

"She has told you, hasn't she Syaoran?" Tomoyo asked him.

"What? Who? Wha—" Syaoran stammered again. _It is very difficult to hide this, you know. Sakura, help!_

"Who has told who?" Sakura asked, bringing plates with pieces of cake with her.

"Nothing!" Tomoyo exclaimed. She and Eriol shared a smile.

"What are you smiling about, Eriol, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing! Let us eat!" Eriol said.

"Okay!" Sakura distributed the plates, and as she gave Syaoran's, she also sat beside him. "Thanks for the food!" They chorused.

Instinctively, once Sakura had sat down beside him, Syaoran's right hand reached out for her left. This might have surprised Sakura a bit before, but she had gotten used to it. Besides, she had wanted to sit beside him so that he would take her hand, as he always would when they were beside each other. She smiled down at her food and Syaoran blushed as he saw that she was pleased.

"Hey, Syaoran, why are you eating the cake using your left hand? You're right-handed!" Meiling said.

"Eh? Well, um, no, I am left-handed!" He answered.

"Huh?" Meiling became confused. Sakura hid a smile. _This is very hard for him._ Meiling may have pointed it out, but Syaoran still did not let go of her hand. She blushed. _He really is persistent. Syaoran…_

All of a sudden Eriol said, "Sakura is it okay if I borrow the Time for a bit? I have to show all of you something. Is your magic up to it?"

Sakura looked up from her food, confused. "I guess. I haven't used magic today at all, so I guess its okay."

"Well, then," Eriol said, when Sakura had given him Time, "shall we?"

------

"Where are we, Eriol?" Meiling asked him.

"I think the right question would be 'when are we?'" Syaoran said. They were inside a rather picturesque church with many people. It seemed as if there was a big occasion, since the people were wearing formal clothes, and nadeshiko flowers and cherry blossoms were scattered all over the place.

"And what is happening?" Meiling asked once again.

Eriol smiled. "We are in the future: twelve years have passed."

"Future?" Sakura said. "It seems as if I have seen this church before."

"Yes, me too." Syaoran said.

"You have?" Eriol asked.

"Yes, at the lighthouse, when Syaoran and me almost—" With that, Sakura clamped a hand over her mouth. _Kissed._ Syaoran was looking at her with an urgent look.

"Where you and Syaoran almost?" Meiling asked.

"Nothing!" Sakura and Syaoran both chorused. Once again Eriol smiled, "I think your questions will be answered now, Meiling."

"My questions?" Meiling said, confused. Eriol winked at Tomoyo, who was getting a rather clear idea about what was happening, or maybe, going to happen. Right then, music struck—the wedding march.

"A wedding?! Whose?" Meiling exclaimed, "I love weddings!"

"Is that you playing the piano, Eriol?" Sakura said. "And Syaoran! Is that you?" She was pointing at a young man, who indeed looked like a mature version of Syaoran.

"Sakura! It's you!" Syaoran said. "And you're walking down the aisle—as a bride? Whose bride?!" Sure enough, Sakura was walking down the aisle, decked out in white frills and lace, carrying a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, I wish I could have brought my video camera with me!" Tomoyo couldn't help exclaiming.

"Ssshh, everyone. They will hear you and you will disrupt the wedding." Meiling said.

"Don't worry. They cannot see or hear us." Eriol said.

"Huh? Eriol, will you explain this?" Sakura cried out, very confused.

"Yes, will you?" Syaoran was every bit as confused as Sakura was.

"Let us wait. Whose bride will you be, Sakura?" He smiled mysteriously.

"Yes, whose?" Syaoran echoed, clanching his left fist.

"This is so wonderful!" Tomoyo exclaimed again.

------

The five of them watched with pent-up breath as the older Sakura walked down the aisle. Sakura looked confused, Meiling was watching happily, Tomoyo and Eriol looked expectant, and Syaoran looked as if he was going to murder someone.

The older Sakura was very happy—her eyes looked as if they were shining. Syaoran started to mutter under his breath. Sakura saw it and giggled. She squeezed his hand, which was still entwined with hers. All throughout, he still had not let go. He looked at her. _Its okay, Syaoran._ She mouthed to him silently. He nodded, but the muscles in his arms were still rigid and his jaw was set. Sakura smiled, and though she was confused, continued to watch her older self, intrigued.

The both of them did not know that someone was watching them. Tomoyo smiled and pointed them out to Eriol. "So cute!" She whispered to him. Eriol smiled at her.

The marching Sakura had reached the front of the church and Syaoran watched with abated breath who was going to be the groom.

"Syaoran, you're the groom!" Meiling exclaimed. "Sakura finally answered you!"

He was speechless. Sakura noted that at first his grip had relaxed, then his hand squeezed hers, prompting her to look at him. They shared a smile.

"You can no longer hide from us, Sakura, Syaoran." Eriol said.

"Yes, since it is that very obvious!" Tomoyo smiled.

"Wha-wha! I-It is?!" Syaoran said.

"Hoe!" Sakura exclaimed.

"WHAT?!?!" Meiling exclaimed.

"You should better tell us, you two." Eriol said calmly.

Syaoran looked at Sakura, who gave him a small smile and nodded. He sighed. "I guess we could not keep it, what with Eriol's magic and Tomoyo's profound knowledge of love." And with that he revealed their intertwined hands, which were always hidden behind his back whenever they were together, ever since that fateful day at the lighthouse in the theme park.

Meiling gasped and Eriol and Tomoyo just nodded and smiled.

"Oh! I am so happy for the both of you, Sakura, Syaoran!" Meiling proceeded to hug the both of them, who were blushing fiercely.

"We knew it all along." Eriol smiled. "I might have not predicted it at first, but when I returned it was obvious."

"That's right!" Tomoyo agreed, smiling.

"Hoe?! You knew all along?" Sakura's face was permanently red. Both Tomoyo and Eriol just grinned. "Well, I guess, there's nothing more we can do right now. Right, Syaoran?" She said.

"Yeah, I guess." He smiled at her.

"Oh, this is just so cute!" Mailing and Tomoyo cried out.

Sakura and Syaoran smiled at each other. _He never let go, even if we were under scrutiny and pressure._ She thought, looking at their hands.

Syaoran saw Sakura looking at their clasped hands. He smiled, _she never let go, even if we were under scrutiny and pressure._ He squeezed her hand and she looked up. She grinned.

Syaoran looked up and got quite interested at what he saw. He nudged Sakura and using his nose, he pointed at two people. Sakura gasped, and started to laugh.

"What is it, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked.

"I guess me and Syaoran's relationship," with that Sakura blushed, "are not the only one to be revealed with this journey to the future. Look!" With her right hand she pointed at two people, who turned out to be—

"Tomoyo and Eriol?! Also clasping hands?!" Meiling exclaimed.

Tomoyo's head whipped to the place where Sakura was pointing, and indeed, there was the older she, holding an older Eriol's hand, gazing happily at the newlyweds, and talking animatedly with him.

"The two of you look very happy there." Syaoran hid a grin.

Eriol was also staring at his older self. "I did not predict that…" As his voice faded away, the color pink began to tint his cheeks. He snuck a glance at Tomoyo, and as fate had it, at the same time her blushing face snuck a glance at him, too. Their eyes met and both looked away, their cheeks coloring.

Sakura giggled. "Nice matchmaking, eh?"

Eriol coughed. "I think we should return to the present."

"Aww, just when it was starting to get good!" Syaoran exclaimed. He and Sakura began to laugh.

"I want a partner, too!" Meiling exclaimed. They all laughed, as Time's effects wore away, accompanied by the ringing of the church bells and the people's cheering outside.

AN: READ AND REVIEW!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!


End file.
